Turfs and Skills for Multiple Technicians

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are disclosed for assigning multiple technicians to turfs and to skills. One method allows a user to interface with an Integrated Dispatch System and assign multiple technicians to a turf. The turf designates a geographic area within a telecommunications network. The multiple technicians and the turf are displayed via a graphical user interface on a computer. Another method allows the user to assign multiple technicians to a skill level. The skill level describes a qualification for repairing the telecommunications network. The multiple technicians and the skill level are displayed via the graphical user interface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/161,250, filed May 31, 2002 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,098, which is incorporated herein by reference.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its figures contain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, but the copyright owner otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to computers and to telecommunications and, more particularly, to methods and systems for assigning multiple technicians to a particular turf, or a particular skill level, when repairing a telecommunications network.

2. Description of the Related Art

When a telecommunications network requires repair, technicians are currently assigned one at a time to a turf or to a skill level. When a technician needs to be reassigned to a turf or to a skill level, the current work order dispatch system only permits reassigning one technician at a time. A computer user, for example, accesses a particular technician's schedule and reassigns that technician to a new turf or to an additional skill level. The computer user then accesses the next technician's schedule, reassigns this next technician to a turf or a skill level, and then moves on to another technician. The computer user must individually access each technician's schedule and iteratively assign each technician to a new turf or to a new skill level. This iterative process requires two-to-three minutes per technician. So, if the computer user must reassign twenty (20) technicians, this iterative process requires upwards of one hour for the twenty technicians. The current iterative process creates a time-consuming disruption in each day, and the current iterative process prevents supervisors and managers from completing more value-added tasks.

An example provides further illustration. The telecommunications network, during a typical day-to-day operation, might experience a heavy repair workload on the south end of town, while the north end of town has a light workload. The technicians working in the north end are not normally assigned to the turfs of the south end, so a supervisor or manager might want to reassign some north-end technicians to help with repairs on the south end. The supervisor interfaces with the work order dispatch system and iteratively reassigns one technician at a time. Because this iterative process requires two-to-three minutes per technician, the supervisor spends an hour or more each time repair resources must be reassigned. During times of severe weather or of natural disasters, such as a hurricane, hundreds of technicians may need to be reassigned. The current iterative process thus becomes prohibitively time-consuming. This process also prevents adequate repair resources from being timely assigned for quick restoration of communications service.

There is, accordingly, a need in the art for an integrated dispatch system that permits assigning multiple technicians to one or more turfs and to one or more skill levels, a need for methods and systems that provide an easy, user-friendly method of assigning multiple technicians, and a need for methods and systems that quickly allow assignment of multiple technicians to turfs and to skills levels.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aforementioned problems are reduced by an enhanced Integrated Dispatch System. This enhanced Integrated Dispatch System comprises computer programs and computer systems for dispatching work orders for the repair of a telecommunications system. This invention allows multiple technicians to be assigned to turfs and to skill levels. As the telecommunications network needs repair, the present invention allows more than one technician at a time to be assigned. Multiple technicians, and even entire groups of technicians, may be assigned to a particular turf and to particular skill levels. When a supervisor (or other computer user) assigns technicians to match the repair workload, this invention saves two-to-three (2-3) minutes per technician. So, if a supervisor has to assign thirty (30) technicians to a turf (or to a skill level) to ensure the repair workload is met, this invention saves the supervisor sixty-to-ninety (60-90) minutes per day. This time-savings may then be allocated to more value-added efforts. If 100 or more technicians need to be assigned, this invention saves several hours per day.

One aspect of this invention describes a method for assigning multiple technicians to a turf. A user is allowed to interface with the Integrated Dispatch System and to assign multiple technicians to a turf. The term “turf,” as used herein, denotes a geographic area within a telecommunications network. A turf could be a territory, a wire center, the boundary of one or more wire centers, or a portion of a wire center. A turf could also be a composite of geographic areas, and the geographic areas may or may not be contiguous. As the user assigns the multiple technicians to the turf, the method displays the multiple technicians and the turf via a graphical user interface on a computer.

Another embodiment describes a method for assigning multiple technicians to a skill. The Integrated Dispatch System allows a user to assign multiple technicians to a skill level. The skill level describes one or more qualifications for repairing a telecommunications network. The one or more skill levels, for example, could include Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) repair, POTS installation, subscriber loop carrier install and/or repair, installation and/or repair of pressurized lines/cables, or any other skill level required to repair any portion of the telecommunications network. The enhanced integrated dispatch system causes the multiple technicians and the skill level to be displayed on a computer display via a graphical user interface.

Still another embodiment describes a computer system for assigning multiple technicians to turfs and to skill levels. The system has the Integrated Dispatch System stored in a memory device. The Integrated Dispatch System manages the dispatch of work orders in a telecommunications network. The Integrated Dispatch System allows a user to assign multiple technicians to at least one of i) a turf and ii) a skill level. The turf designates a geographic area within the telecommunications network, and the skill level describes a qualification for repairing the telecommunications network. The system also has a processor communicating with the memory device and executing coded executable instructions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of this invention are better understood when the following Detailed Description of the Invention is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the Integrated Dispatch System that resides in a computer system;

FIG. 2 is a screen shot showing an analyst graphical user interface;

FIG. 3 is a schematic representing a technician graphical user interface according to an aspect of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic representing a skills graphical user interface according to an aspect of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representing a turfs graphical user interface according to an aspect of this invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing one method of assigning multiple technicians to a turf, and

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method of assigning multiple technicians to a skill level.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 depicts one possible operating environment for an embodiment of this invention. This embodiment of an Integrated Dispatch System 20 includes a computer program that allows a user to assign multiple technicians to turfs and to skill levels. As the user assigns multiple technicians, the Integrated Dispatch System 20 displays the multiple technicians via a graphical user interface on a computer. The user can indicate which technicians are to be assigned, such as by highlighting the name of each desired technician. The Integrated Dispatch System 20 may also allow the user to display a calendar or a schedule, so that the multiple technicians can be assigned for multiple days. The Integrated Dispatch System 20 then applies the assignments when planning the most efficient repair of the telecommunications network.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the Integrated Dispatch System 20 residing in a computer system 22. The Integrated Dispatch System 20 operates within a system memory device. The Integrated Dispatch System 20, for example, is shown residing in a memory subsystem 24. The Integrated Dispatch System 20, however, could also reside in flash memory 26 or peripheral storage device 28. The computer system 22 also has one or more central processors 30 executing an operating system. The operating system, as is well known, has a set of instructions that control the internal functions of the computer system 22. A system bus 32 communicates signals, such as data signals, control signals, and address signals, between the central processor 30 and a system controller 34 (typically called a “Northbridge”). The system controller 34 provides a bridging function between the one or more central processors 30, a graphics subsystem 36, the memory subsystem 24, and a PCI (Peripheral Controller Interface) bus 38. The PCI bus 38 is controlled by a Peripheral Bus Controller 40. The Peripheral Bus Controller 40 (typically called a “Southbridge”) is an integrated circuit that serves as an input/output hub for various peripheral ports. These peripheral ports could include, for example, a keyboard port 42, a mouse port 44, a serial port 46 and/or a parallel port 48 for a video display unit, one or more external device ports 50, and networking ports 52 (such as SCSI or Ethernet). The Peripheral Bus Controller 40 could also include an audio subsystem 54. Those of ordinary skill in the art understand that the program, processes, methods, and systems described in this patent are not limited to any particular computer system or computer hardware.

The Integrated Dispatch System manages dispatch of work orders in a telecommunications network. The Integrated Dispatch System receives the work order and electronically dispatches the work order. The Integrated Dispatch System knows which technicians are available and the particular skills of each technician. The Integrated Dispatch System prioritizes multiple work orders, and the Integrated Dispatch System matches the proper technician to the problem or to a particular geographic area. While there are several Integrated Dispatch Systems known in the art, the TELCORDIA™ FORCE™ Integrated Dispatch System is preferred (TELCORDIA™ and FORCE™ are trademarks of Telcordia Technologies, Inc., 445 South St., Morristown N.J. 07960, www.telcordia.com).

The central processor 30 is typically a microprocessor. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., for example, manufactures a full line of ATHLON™ microprocessors (ATHLON™ is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., One AMD Place, P.O. Box 3453, Sunnyvale, Calif. 94088-3453, 408.732.2400, 800.538.8450, www.amd.com). Sun Microsystems also designs and manufactures microprocessors (Sun Microsystems, Inc., 901 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto Calif. 94303, www.sun.com). The Intel Corporation manufactures microprocessors (Intel Corporation, 2200 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, Calif. 95052-8119, 408.765.8080, www.intel.com). Other manufacturers also offer microprocessors. Such other manufacturers include Motorola, Inc. (1303 East Algonquin Road, P.O. Box A3309 Schaumburg, Ill. 60196, www.Motorola.com), International Business Machines Corp. (New Orchard Road, Armonk, N.Y. 10504, (914) 499-1900, www.ibm.com), and Transmeta Corp. (3940 Freedom Circle, Santa Clara, Calif. 95054, www.transmeta.com). Those skilled in the art further understand that the program, processes, methods, and systems described in this patent are not limited to any particular manufacturer's central processor.

The preferred operating system is a UNIX®-based system (UNIX® is a registered trademark of The Open Group, 44 Montgomery Street, Suite 960, San Francisco, Calif. 94104, 415.374.8280, www.opengroup.org). Other operating systems, however, are also suitable. Such other operating systems would include WINDOWS® (WINDOWS® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond Wash. 98052-6399, 425.882.8080, www.Microsoft.com). WINDOWS NT®, and Mac® OS (Mac® is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, Calif. 95014, 408.996.1010, www.apple.com). Those of ordinary skill in the art again understand that the program, processes, methods, and systems described in this patent are not limited to any particular operating system.

The system memory device (shown as memory subsystem 24, flash memory 26, or peripheral storage device 28) may also contain an application program. The application program cooperates with the operating system and with a video display unit (via the serial port 46 and/or the parallel port 48) to provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The Graphical User Interface typically includes a combination of signals communicated along the keyboard port 42 and the mouse port 44. The Graphical User Interface provides a convenient visual and/or audible interface with a user of the computer system 22.

FIG. 2 is a screen shot showing an analyst graphical user interface 56. The analyst graphical user interface 56 is just one menu of options presented by the Integrated Dispatch System (shown as reference numeral 20 in FIG. 1) on a computer display. When a user wants to assign multiple technicians to a turf or to a skill level, the user requests a list of technicians from the Integrated Dispatch System. While the user could enter various commands to obtain this list of technicians, FIG. 2 shows the simple, user-friendly analyst graphical user interface 56. The user places a cursor 58 on the “Technicians” option 60, and the Integrated Dispatch System produces the list of technicians.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representing a technician graphical user interface 62. This technician graphical user interface 62 displays a list 64 of technician names. The list 64 of technician names contains some or all of the technicians available to the user. The technician names could be sorted or arranged by area, by supervisor, by manager, by turf, by skill level, or by any other desired grouping or affiliation. FIG. 3, for simplicity, shows a short listing of twenty (20) technicians (there could be less than twenty technicians, and there could be 100 or more technicians listed for a large metropolitan area). Once the list 64 of technician names is displayed, the Integrated Dispatch System allows the user to assign multiple technicians. The user interfaces with the Integrated Dispatch System and selects the names of the technicians to be assigned. The Integrated Dispatch System accepts any means of selecting the names of technicians, but the user preferably interfaces using a touch-sensitive device. The user, for example, uses a mouse, a keyboard, or a light pen to highlight 66 the name of each technician to be assigned. Once the user selects the technicians to be assigned, the user then selects what days the technicians will be assigned.

FIG. 3 also shows a calendar 68. Once the user selects the technicians to be assigned, the user then uses the calendar to select which days the technicians will be assigned. The calendar may display a day, a week, or a month of a year. The calendar could also represent a daily, weekly, or monthly work schedule. A forward control button 70 and a backward control button 72 allow the user to scroll and to select the desired day, week, or month. The user again interfaces with the Integrated Dispatch System and selects the desired day the multiple technicians will be assigned. The Integrated Dispatch System, as before, accepts any means of selecting the day of assignment, but the user preferably interfaces using the touch-sensitive device to highlight 74 the desired day. As FIG. 3 shows, if the user wishes to assign the multiple technicians to multiple days, the user simply selects all the desired days of assignment.

The user then selects to edit turfs or skill levels. After the multiple technicians have been selected, and after the desired days of assignment have been selected, the user then chooses to assign turfs or to assign skill levels. An “Edit Skills” control button 76 allows the user to assign one or more skill levels to the multiple technicians, while an “Edit Turfs” control button 78 allows the user to assign one or more turfs to the multiple technicians. If the user wishes to assign skill levels, the user interfaces with the Integrated Dispatch System and selects the “Edit Skills” control button 76 using the touch-sensitive device. If the user wishes to assign turfs, the user interfaces with the Integrated Dispatch System and similarly selects the “Edit Turfs” control button 78 using the touch-sensitive device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representing a skills graphical user interface 80. When the user wishes to assign skill levels, the user selects the “Edit Skills” control button (shown as reference numeral 76 in FIG. 3) using the touch-sensitive device. The Integrated Dispatch System then causes the skills graphical user interface 80 to be presented on the display device of the computer system. The skills graphical user interface 80 shows a list 81 of skill levels for repair of the telecommunications network. Each skill level describes a qualification for repairing the telecommunications network. The user again interfaces with the Integrated Dispatch System and selects the desired skill level to be assigned to the multiple technicians. The Integrated Dispatch System, as before, accepts any means of selecting the skill level, but the user preferably interfaces using the touch-sensitive device to highlight 82 the desired skill level. If the user wishes to assign more than one skill level to the multiple technicians, the user simply selects all the desired skill levels. Once the desired skill levels have been selected, the user applies the desired skill levels using an “Apply Skills” control button 84. The user preferably uses the touch-sensitive device to “click” or toggle the “Apply Skills” control button 84. The Integrated Dispatch System then applies the skill level changes to the multiple technicians for the desired days.

FIG. 5 is a schematic representing a turfs graphical user interface 86. When the user wishes to assign one or more turfs to the multiple technicians, the user selects the “Edit Turfs” control button (shown as reference numeral 78 in FIG. 3) using the touch-sensitive device. The Integrated Dispatch System then causes the turfs graphical user interface 86 to be presented on the display device of the computer system. The turfs graphical user interface 86 displays one or more turfs which can be assigned to the multiple technicians. Because a turf may encompass any geographic area and/or wire center, the turfs graphical user interface 86 includes a listing 88 of wire centers and a listing 90 of geographic areas. The user again interfaces with the Integrated Dispatch System and selects the desired turf to be assigned to the multiple technicians. The Integrated Dispatch System, as before, accepts any means of selecting the turf, but the user preferably interfaces using the touch-sensitive device to highlight 92 the desired turf. If the user wishes to assign more than one turf to the multiple technicians, the user simply selects all the desired turfs for the group of multiple technicians. Once the desired turfs have been selected, the user applies the desired turfs using an “Apply Turfs” control button 94. The user preferably uses the touch-sensitive device to “click” or toggle the “Apply Turfs” control button 94. The Integrated Dispatch System then applies the turf changes to the multiple technicians for the desired days.

After the turfs and the skill levels have been applied, the Integrated Dispatch System determines the most efficient repair of the telecommunications network. As work orders are generated, the Integrated Dispatch System dynamically reviews the list of available technicians, their turfs, and their skill levels. The Integrated Dispatch System then tries to determine the most efficient work order assignments for the quickest, most economical repair of the telecommunications system.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing one method of assigning multiple technicians to a turf. An Integrated Dispatch System (IDS) displays a list of technicians (Block 96). A user interfaces with the Integrated Dispatch System and assigns multiple technicians to the turf (Block 98). The Integrated Dispatch System may also display a calendar or schedule (Block 100), so the user may also select at least one day for which the multiple technicians will be assigned to the turf (Block 102). Once the multiple technicians have been assigned to the turf for the desired day(s), the Integrated Dispatch System applies the multiple technicians and the turf(s) to the assignment of work orders (Block 104).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing one method of assigning multiple technicians to a skill level. The Integrated Dispatch System (IDS) displays a list of technicians (Block 106). The user interfaces with the Integrated Dispatch System and assigns multiple technicians to the skill level (Block 108). Because the Integrated Dispatch System may display a calendar or schedule (Block 110), the user may also select at least one day for which the multiple technicians will be assigned to the skill level (Block 112). Once the multiple technicians have been assigned to the skill level for the desired day(s), the Integrated Dispatch System applies the multiple technicians and the skill level(s) to the assignment of work orders (Block 114). If the user fails to select one or more days, the Integrated Dispatch System could have a default assignment of the current day or the next day. The Integrated Dispatch System could also force the user to select one or more days before applying the one or more skill levels.

The Integrated Dispatch System (shown as reference numeral 20 in FIG. 1), including the methods of the present invention, may be physically embodied on or in a computer-readable medium. This computer-readable medium may include CD-ROM, DVD, tape, cassette, floppy disk, memory card, and large-capacity disk (such as IOMEGA®, ZIP®, JAZZ®, and other large-capacity memory products (IOMEGA®, ZIP®, and JAZZ® are registered trademarks of Iomega Corporation, 1821 W. Iomega Way, Roy, Utah 84067, 801.332.1000, www.iomega.com). This computer-readable medium, or media, could be distributed to end-users, licensees, and assignees. These types of computer-readable media, and other types not mention here but considered within the scope of the this invention, allow the Integrated Dispatch System to be easily disseminated. A computer program product, for assigning multiple technicians to turfs and to skill levels, comprises the computer-readable medium and the Integrated Dispatch System. The Integrated Dispatch System is stored on the computer-readable medium.

While the present invention has been described with respect to various features, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilled in the art will recognize the invention is not so limited. Other variations, modifications, and alternative embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 

1. A computer implemented method for assigning multiple technicians to skills and turfs, comprising: performing on a computer processor: receiving a selection of a button in a graphical user interface to produce a list of technicians for assignment to a work order; querying an integrated dispatch system for the list of technicians; causing display of the list of technicians, a monthly calendar grid, and an edit skills button in a single screen of another graphical user interface; receiving a technician selection of multiple technicians from the list of technicians; receiving a selection of days from the calendar grid for which the multiple technicians will be assigned; causing display of a list of skills and an apply button in a single skills graphical user interface when the edit skills button is selected; receiving a selection of a skill level from the list of skills for assignment to the multiple technicians; and applying the skill level to the multiple technicians for the selected days when the apply button is selected.
 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising causing display of an edit turfs button in the single screen of the another graphical user interface.
 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising receiving a selection of the edit turfs button to assign a turf to the multiple technicians.
 4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising causing display of a list of turfs and another apply button in a single turfs graphical user interface when the edit turfs button is selected.
 5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising causing display of geographic areas that may be assigned to the multiple technicians.
 6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising causing display of wire centers that may be assigned to the multiple technicians.
 7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising receiving a selection of a turf from the list of turfs for assignment to the multiple technicians.
 8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising applying the turf to the multiple technicians for the selected days.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein when no selection is made in the calendar grid, assigning a default day of a next day.
 10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising highlighting the technician selection of the multiple technicians from the list of technicians.
 11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising highlighting the selection of days in the calendar grid.
 12. A system, comprising: a processor executing a software application stored in memory, the software application causing the processor to: receive a selection of a button in a graphical user interface to produce a list of technicians for assignment to a work order; query an integrated dispatch system for the list of technicians; cause display of the list of technicians, a monthly calendar grid, and an edit skills button in a single screen of another graphical user interface; receive a technician selection of multiple technicians from the list of technicians; receive a selection of days from the calendar grid for which the multiple technicians will be assigned; cause display of a list of skills and an apply button in a single skills graphical user interface when the edit skills button is selected; receive a selection of a skill level from the list of skills for assignment to the multiple technicians; and apply the skill level to the multiple technicians for the selected days when the apply button is selected.
 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the software application further causes the processor to display an edit turfs button in the single screen of the another graphical user interface.
 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the software application further causes the processor to receive a selection of the edit turfs button to assign a turf to the multiple technicians.
 15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the software application further causes the processor to display a list of turfs and another apply button in a single turfs graphical user interface when the edit turfs button is selected.
 16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the software application further causes the processor to display geographic areas that may be assigned to the multiple technicians.
 17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the software application further causes the processor to display wire centers that may be assigned to the multiple technicians.
 18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the software application further causes the processor to receive a selection of a turf from the list of turfs for assignment to the multiple technicians.
 19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the software application further causes the processor to apply the turf to the multiple technicians for the selected days.
 20. A computer readable medium storing processor executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising: receiving a selection of a button in a graphical user interface to produce a list of technicians for assignment to a work order; querying an integrated dispatch system for the list of technicians; causing display of the list of technicians, a monthly calendar grid, and an edit skills button in a single screen of another graphical user interface; receiving a technician selection of multiple technicians from the list of technicians; receiving a selection of days from the calendar grid for which the multiple technicians will be assigned; causing display of a list of skills and an apply button in a single skills graphical user interface when the edit skills button is selected; receiving a selection of a skill level from the list of skills for assignment to the multiple technicians; and applying the skill level to the multiple technicians for the selected days when the apply button is selected. 